10 days old

All three babies are doing great! Parks has improved so much, so quickly. He is breathing on his own without any assistance. His breathing rate has slowed down and become more regular. He is getting all of his nutrition from feedings and no longer has an IV. He is so happy when he gets to be held with his sisters.

Nora and Eva are also cruising right along. Eva has surpassed her birth weight. Nora has too. They also seem the happiest when they are held together with their brother Parks.

Will is still doing well considering the NICU won't allow him to see his brother and sisters. (The rule is you must be three years old, and he is 2 yrs and 9 mo old.) I am very sad that they have been so inflexible on this, and I am hoping they will change their mind eventually (especially since this is expected to go on for a month or more!) Will asks about the babies all the time and keeps asking about when they will get to come home. He has said that he would really like to help give the babies their baths, and feed them bottles.

5 days old

Here is an update on each of the kids:

Nora had her IV removed last night. She is doing really well eating and growing, so she doesn't need it anymore. She is very far ahead of the game for a 32 week triplet. Her doctors and nurses continue to be amazed at how quickly she is progressing. I have a feeling she will be the first one home.

Eva, is also moving right along. Tomorrow they will remove her IV and she will get all of her nutrients strictly from feedings, like Nora. She is a "hand holder." Whenever you put your hand by her, she will grab on with her little fingers. She looks beautiful with her little hat and her sweet little outfit.

Tonight I was able to hold the two girls together for the first time! It was very exciting.

Sweet little Parks is still having the most difficulty of three. Last night his breathing rate increased significantly and they considered putting him back on the ventilator, but decided to wait and do a chest X-ray in the morning. The chest X-Ray showed some cloudiness. The doctor decided to give him some medicine to remove excess fluid and thought that this would improve his breathing. The doctor was right, and his breathing rate improved. He still continues to struggle with his breathing. The doctor seemed very optimistic that this would improve within a week. As we approach the end of the first week, the doctor has seemed discouraged that Parks had not improved faster. And of course Steve and I are very worried. So we are asking that everyone please keep him in their prayers. It is incredibly difficult to watch your child go through something like this. We are hoping and praying he will start to turn the corner soon and that this is not an indicator of another problem. We have only been able to hold him once. It is difficult to get a good picture of him because he likes the lights to be turned down low, and of course we don't want to bother him with the flash.

Will seems to be holding up very well with all the chaos and change. His ability to go with the flow never fails to amaze me. He seems as happy as ever. Today he played at Grammy and Grandpa's house, with Grammy and his cousin Luke. He had a wonderful time. He even asked Grammy if he could feed baby Luke his baby food. He was very proud of feeding his cousin Luke. He said next, he would like to teach Luke how to play soccer and baseball (Luke is only 9 months old). Will is going to be the best big brother. I am not surprised; he is above average at everything he does. :)

In the picture of Will at the incubator, that is not a real baby inside, it is a doll for him to play with and learn about where his brother and sisters sleep.

Kids are doing great

Today was a great day. Laura and I spent all day with the triplets. I got to hold Nora and Eva for the first time. They are both doing great. The doctors keep increasing their feedings, and they haven't been on any breathing assistance for a couple days now. Their jaundice is also getting better and the light therapy was removed today, which means their fancy sunglasses were also removed.

All the kids are now dressed in some cute clothes, and have cute blankets in their beds.

Parks was removed from the ventilator on saturday, but put back on Sunday. Then yesterday he was removed again. He is still on the CPAP which helps put oxygen in his lungs. He seems to be much more comfortable today. We will be able to hold him tonight.

We are still at the hospital right now, but Laura will be discharged today.


Nora is wearing the fancy hat. Eva has the bow in her hair. Parks has the blue blanket.

Everyone Is Doing Well

I will be discharged tomorrow. The triplets are doing great.

The Triplets are here!

Laura had a doctors appointment yesterday at 2:00. We went to the doctor and had our normal check up. The doctor looked at the kiddos on the ultra sound and took some measurements and weights. The doctor thought everything looked good. He was a little concerned about the two girls still being small, but nothing too serious. Then the doctor checked and Laura was dilated to 5 cm. The doctor took one look at Laura and said, "Girl, you're going to have some babies in about an hour."
The next hour or two just flew by and the details are still a little fuzzy in my head. They quickly wheeled Laura to the delivery room, scrubbed her down, and prepared her for surgery. I did my best to impersonate a doctor and put on my scrubs (I could get used to the idea of wearing scrubs). Since we were just going for a doctors visit, we were not prepared at all for delivery. I had to call my mom to bring me a camera. Luckily she got there right before they moved Laura into the surgery room.
There were a ton of people in the room. There were four people for each baby (3 nurses from the NICU and a respiratory specialist). Then about 5 people for Laura. The two girls came first, then the boy.
Nora Louise born at 4:43 PM, 3 lbs 14 oz., and 16.5" long.
Eva Marie born at 4:44 PM, 3 lbs 9 oz., and 16.5" long.
Parks Joseph born at 4:45 PM, 4 lbs 9 oz., and 17" long.
The kids are doing well in the NICU at Children's Hospital in Omaha. Nora is doing the best. She has not needed any assistance breathing. Eva was put on a ventilator, but quickly pulled the tube out of her throat. So they decided to keep her off the ventilator, and have her on oxygen. Parks was on a ventilator until 8:00 this morning. He is now only on oxygen.
All the kids are beautiful. Nora and Eva have full heads of dark, dark hair. Parks has a full head of lighter hair, very similar to what Will's hair looked like when he was born. We'll attach some pictures and try to keep up on the updates.
It's been a whirlwind of events, but we are blessed to have three healthy new babies.
Almost forgot... Laura is also doing well. She was fantastic through the whole C-section. She is sore today, but I think she is recovering great!

In the pictures below: Nora has the pink hat, Eva has the striped hat, and Parks has the blue hat.

32 week Belly Pictures

Appointment

The doctor said things are quickly moving along. He said I may be able to make it to 33 weeks (7 more days). Time will tell. I go back Friday for another check.
He did not do measurements today, so I don't have any baby weight updates. He will take measurements and make weight estimates on Friday.
Steve took some new 32 week belly pictures today (of me, not him). I will post them on the blog soon.

Meanwhile, we are trying to prepare Will for his big trip. Friday morning he will be flying to Norfolk, Virginia with Nana, Grandpa, and Uncle Bill, where he will serve as ring bearer in my cousin Billy Colonna's wedding. Will is very excited. I, on the other hand, am having a hard time with the idea of parting with him (even if it is just for three days). I wish I could go too!

32 weeks!

I have made it to my 8th month of pregnancy with the trips. I hope to keep going for at least one more week. Although this is getting truly unbearable, my discomfort seems like a minor price to pay if it means less time for the babies in the NICU.
I have an appointment this afternoon. I will blog again afterwards.

31 weeks 3 days

The doctor told me today that he thinks I will deliver within 7 to 10 days (that will put me at about 32 1/2 to 33 weeks). A, B, and C look healthy. All three are receiving a good blood supply. He told me their weights may not change much at this point, because space is limited. (Believe me, space is limited!)
I know the longer I go the less time they will have to spend in the NICU. I was really hoping to make it to at least 33 weeks. I thought June 16th (my Aunt Teresa's birthday) seemed like a good day to welcome Farrington triplets to the world.

Great News

I had another appointment this morning. I am 31 weeks today! The babies looked great. All three had gained weight since last Thursday. Babies A and C, the girls, weighed about 3 lbs 5 ounces each. Baby B, the boy, weighed about 4 lbs 8 oz. This means I am carrying around almost 11 lbs of baby!
Dr. Robertson also checked for signs that I may be getting closer to delivery. All signs indicated that I will be able to carry this trio at least a little longer. I need to make it to at least 32 weeks, but 33 or 34 would be even better. Each week I can keep them cooking, means less time in the NICU.
Please keep us in your prayers!